Archive for the ‘Albuquerque New Mexico’ tag

Embedded in a photo essay about Amtrak that Charles O’Rear shot for the EPA’s Documerica project, we see one shot from Albuquerque that works well for our carspotting series. Presumably we’re looking east on Central Avenue – there’s still a Baptist church in the location we see it here, and it would make sense that O’Rear wouldn’t stray too far from the train station on the west side of the tracks for his shot. What do you see here?

Did you ever notice that for all the wrong turns he took in Albuquerque, Bugs never actually ended up there? Photographer Danny Lyon, however did end up there in April 1972 while taking photos for the Documerica project, and while there he snapped this pic of Gaede’s Wrecking Yard. It appears Gaede’s is no longer around – at least, not under that name – so we have no clue where in Albuquerque it was. What do you see here?

We’re still reeling from the sensory overload from yesterday’s Washington, D.C., parking lot scene, so let’s examine a couple low-key dealership images, courtesy Alden Jewell. Generally, import car dealers in the 1950s didn’t focus on one particular marque – instead, to try to increase volume, they would bundle a number of different franchises under one roof, and that’s what we see going on with these two dealers. The first, Frank Reber and Charlie Cole’sImported Cars of Westport, was located on Riverside Avenue in the Saugatuck section of Westport, Connecticut. It appears the building remains, though the dealership is long gone.

Next, we’ll go out to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where The Motorsport Corporation had a dealership at 7833 Lomas Boulevard, now the site of an Enterprise Rent-A-Car with significantly more cars on its lot. Carspotters, what do you see in these two images?

The Model A Ford Foundation is considering the design of a museum for the Model A Ford.Â Ideally they would like to copy all or part of a real building from the Model A era (1928-1931).Â They have a couple of candidates but need more.Â Does anyone have an image of their favorite building to suggest?

And we did get several good suggestions from that last post. Among them is Melford Motors in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, suggested by Robin Grow, the president of the Art Deco and Modernism Society. The building still stands at 621 Elizabeth Street, though it now houses a Toyota dealership. Robin noted that the big V-8 insignia lit up at night.

Next up, another non-U.S. Ford dealership, George Yewer Ford in Gravenhurst, Ontario, suggested to us by Ivan. It looks like it was located at 696 Muskoka Road North before it went out of business within the last couple of years.

And finally, a suggestion from Brendan Doherty: Jones Motor Company on Route 66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jones occupied its building from 1939 to 1957, but the building still stands today as Kellys Brew Pub and appears to retain all of its architectural elements.

If you have any other art deco Ford dealerships you’d like to suggest for the Model A Ford Foundation’s museum, leave your suggestions and links to photos in the comments section and we’ll pass them on to Stan!

Summertime is the right time to play with your toys. If you’re anywhere near Albuquerque, New Mexico, this coming weekend, do consider going to the Matchbox Collectors Community Hall All Toy Vehicle 2006 International
Gathering of Friends, 21-23 July, at the Albuquerque Marriott, located at 2101 Louisiana Blvd.
Admission is just three bucks, free for the under-10 crowd. Charity auctions? You know it. Official presentations from Mattel officials about the future of the Matchbox brand? Present and accounted for. Room-to-room trading, and finding that rare car you’d only ever heard of? Your chances increase greatly here. Raffles, races, prizes, and, of course, the most important part of an event like this, meeting up with like-minded folks and making new friends, are all part of the event.
Collectors from around the globe will be converging on this event, making it a truly international gathering. Official souvenir cars will be available as well!
For more information, e-mail: diecastshow@aol.com or call (505) 892-8848. For hotel reservations call (505) 881-6800. Show Registration forms are available online at www.mboxcommunity.com/show/2006GatheringShowRevFinalform.pdf

(This post originally appeared in the July 20, 2006, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)